S.W.A.T.

S.W.A.T.
Promotional poster for S.W.A.T
Directed by	Clark Johnson
Produced by	Dan Halsted Chris Lee Neal H. Moritz
Written by	Characters: Robert Hamner Story: Ron Mita Jim McClain Screenplay: David Ayer David McKenna Uncredited: George Huang Lem Dobbs Chris Morgan Craig Fernandez
Starring	Colin Farrell Samuel L. Jackson Michelle Rodriguez LL Cool J Olivier Martinez
Music by	Elliot Goldenthal
Editing by	Michael Tronick
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	August 8, 2003
Running time	117 min.
Language	English Spanish French
Budget	US$ 80,000,000.
Gross revenue	US$ 207,725,639[1]

S.W.A.T. is a 2003 action crime film and is based on the 1975 television series of the same name. It was directed by Clark Johnson and stars Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, LL Cool J and Michelle Rodriguez. It was released in the United States on August 8, 2003.

Plot

The film begins with a hostage situation in Los Angeles (loosely based on the 1997 North Hollywood shootout). Officer Jim Street (Farrell), a hot-shot cop from the Los Angeles Police Department and his SWAT team are sent to stop a gang of robbers who have taken over a bank. His high-tempered partner and close friend Brian Gamble (Jeremy Renner) disobeys an order, and wounds a hostage. Gamble and Street are demoted by Captain Fuller (Larry Poindexter), the commander of LAPD's Metropolitan Division, who is portrayed as a fussy martinet. Gamble quits following arguments with Fuller and Street, the latter of whom is taken off the SWAT team and sent to work in the "gun cage," where he looks after gear and weapons.

The Chief of Police calls on Sergeant Dan "Hondo" Harrelson (Jackson) to help re-organize the SWAT division. Hondo is transferred in, and soon puts together a diverse team, including himself, Street, Chris Sánchez (Rodriguez), Deacon Kaye (LL Cool J), T.J. McCabe (Josh Charles), and Michael Boxer (Brian Van Holt). The team trains together and develops bonds of friendship.

Meanwhile, a drug lord by the name of Alex Montel (Olivier Martinez) kills his father and uncle for control of the family's crime empire. The L.A.P.D. stop Montel for a broken taillight, detain him, and learn through Interpol he is an international fugitive. As they are transferring him, his associates, dressed as LAPD officers, assault the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department bus Montel is on, in an attempt to free him. Hondo's SWAT team foils the assault. As Montel is being brought into the police station in front of a group of reporters, he yells to them, “I will give one hundred million dollars to whoever gets me out of here.”

The L.A.P.D. makes plans to transfer Montel into federal custody. They plan to fly him away, but a mysterious attacker (later revealed to be Gamble) shoots down the helicopter. The police next send out a large convoy, which is attacked by gang members. It turns out to be a decoy, and Hondo's team has spirited Montel away in two S.U.V.s. However, T.J. has been plotting with Gamble, and the two succeed in taking Montel from the other officers. Hondo and the rest give chase, and there is a final fierce battle, Gamble's group against the SWAT officers. Hondo's team is victorious. T.J. kills himself rather than be captured, and there is a vicious hand to hand fight between Street and Gamble, with Street emerging the eventual victor when he kicks Gamble under the wheels of a passing train. The SWAT team delivers Montel to a federal prison to await trial.

Cast

• Samuel L. Jackson as Sergeant Second Grade Dan "Hondo" Harrelson. In the beginning of the film, Hondo is an inactive member of SWAT. He is brought back by the Chief of Police to head a new SWAT Element. He is a former Recon Marine. He uses both an M4A1 and Heckler & Koch MP5A2. He personally upgraded the trigger of the M4A1 that he uses. His call sign is 70 David. His new team, fully recruited and assembled by himself, is:
• Colin Farrell as Police Officer Third Grade Jim Street. The main protagonist of the film. He is originally assigned to SWAT, but after an incident with his partner he is removed from the team and placed in the "gun cage." After Hondo sees how well he can shoot and being able to identify his modifications in moments, he is recruited for Hondo's new SWAT team. He created the battering ram/grappling hook used during the SWAT team's first mission (which he's dubbed "The Key To The City"). He is a former Navy SEAL and uses an M4A1 and a Kimber Custom TLE II pistol on SWAT missions.
• Michelle Rodriguez as Police Officer Third Grade Chris Sánchez. She was a frequent applicant to SWAT, who has applied 3 times but rejected each time due to the captain's sexism. Hondo persuades him to allow her to be on his team. She carries an MP5 on SWAT calls. She has a daughter named Eliza.
• James Todd Smith, a.k.a. LL Cool J as Police Officer Third Grade Deacon "Deke" Kaye. A Patrol officer and father of two children, he is also recruited by Hondo. In the SWAT team, he is armed with a Benelli M3 Super 90 shotgun and later Hondo's MP5, and serves as the rear-guard of the team.
• Josh Charles as Police Officer Third Grade T.J. McCabe. He is a member of SWAT who initially has problems with Street, but as they are continually forced to work together, they become more of a team. Near the end, however, McCabe betrays SWAT and teams up with Gamble. After Gamble's plan falls apart, T.J. commits suicide to escape going to prison.
• Jeremy Renner as former Police Officer Third Grade Brian Gamble. He is Street's former partner who quits L.A.P.D. after being demoted due to, while violating a direct order not to engage an enemy, shooting a hostage. Gamble later takes advantage of Montel's offer of reward to anyone who can free him by forming a group of other ex-SWAT members to free him and then escape to Mexico. Gamble feels that his ex-partner betrayed him in the captain's office, which makes the extraction of Montel personal.
• Brian Van Holt as Police Officer Third Grade Michael Boxer. He is a SWAT officer who also has worked with Hondo before. His sister was involved with Street and broke up with him after he was transferred to the gun cage. He is armed with a M4A1. When Gamble and his group make their move to liberate Alex Montel, he is nearly killed by Gamble who shoots him in the neck.
• Olivier Martinez as Alex Montel. The main antagonist of the film. He is a French criminal and his family controls a huge drug empire which values into the billions.
• Ken Davitian as Martìn Gascoigne. LA based French drug trafficker, he's Montel's uncle. Gascoigne operates from the Figaro Cafè, in Downtown LA. Montel kills him to gather more power within the crime family.
• Reg E. Cathey as Lieutenant Second Grade Greg Velasquez. He is field commander of D Platoon (SWAT) and old friends with Hondo. Call sign 10-
• Larry Poindexter as Captain Thomas Fuller. He is Commander of Metropolitan Division (Home of the LAPD SWAT) D Platoon and disliked by many SWAT officers. Call sign R-commander.
• Denis Arndt as Sergeant Howard, head of another SWAT element.
• Daniel Ichikawa as Sergeant Yamoto, head of SWAT's sniper element. He uses a Remington Model 700 PSS as his weapon.
• Edison Chen as Police Officer Third Grade Malcolm Chow. A short range sniper in Sergeant Yamato's aniper element. His primary weapon of use is a Robar Model M86.
• Nicholas Tse as Police Officer Third Grade Jack Chan. A long range sniper in Sergant Yamato's sniper element. His primary weapon of choice is a M82A1 SASR.

Cameos

• Bridget Powers as herself
• Larry McCormick as himself
• Don "Magic" Juan as himself
• Steve Forrest as SWAT Truck Driver (Lt. Dan "Hondo" Harrelson from TV series)
• Rod Perry as Deacon Kaye's Father (Sgt. David "Deacon" Kay from TV series)

Reception

Reception for the movie was mixed, with a 48 (out of 100) on the movie reviews website Rotten Tomatoes.^[2]

Soundtrack

Elliot Goldenthal composed the movie's soundtrack.

Differences from TV series

In the original TV series, the role of Hondo was played by white actor Steve Forrest, (who made a cameo appearance at the end of the movie as the S.W.A.T. bus driver). T.J. McCabe is one of the antagonists, whereas in the TV series, he always worked for the team. The movie also changes the S.W.A.T. team in several important ways: First: in the TV series, Deke is second-in-command to Hondo; whereas in the movie he is at the same level as the others. Second: in the movie there is a female member of the team, Sánchez - in the TV series it's an all-male team. Finally, the TV series had only five members on the team, whereas the movie introduced a sixth; Boxer was not in the TV series and the movie left out Luca.

References

1. ^ "S.W.A.T. (2003)". boxofficemojo.com. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=swat.htm. Retrieved April 23 2006. 
2. ^ S.W.A.T. Movie Reviews, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes

External links

• Official website
• S.W.A.T. at the Internet Movie Database